Pitch Deck Writing
Parent: Writing and Documentation · Published reference · snapshot 2026-09-08 · skill executive-comms/references/pitch-deck-writing.md
↓ Facts as markdownall context files
A pitch deck is a slide-based artifact that compresses a fundraising, sales, or partnership case into a tight narrative arc — usually 10 to 14 slides — designed to be skimmed in minutes and remembered
These notes link each claim to its source. Some citations identify archived research reports that are no longer hosted on this site. A published reference means the content is available; it does not certify independent review or accuracy.Read the editorial policy and follow the sources before relying on a claim.
Overview
- A pitch deck is a slide-based artifact that compresses a fundraising, sales, or partnership case into a tight narrative arc - usually 10 to 14 slides - designed to be skimmed in minutes and remembered in seconds. [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#overview]
1. The 10/20/30 rule (Kawasaki)
- Guy Kawasaki's rule for investor/pitch contexts: [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#1-the-102030-rule-kawasaki]
- 10 slides - the human mind cannot absorb more than ten concepts in a single sitting in a pitch context [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#1-the-102030-rule-kawasaki]
- 20 minutes - even if you have a full hour, present in 20 minutes; leave the rest for discussion [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#1-the-102030-rule-kawasaki]
- 30-point minimum font - if you cannot fit your message in 30pt type, you have too many words [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#1-the-102030-rule-kawasaki]
2. The canonical Sequoia / Reid Hoffman structure
- 10–12 slides in this order: [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure]
- Title / Company purpose - one-line description [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure]
- Problem - the customer pain, with evidence [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure]
- Solution - your product as the answer [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure]
- Why now - timing argument; why this couldn't have been built 5 years ago [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure]
- Market size - TAM/SAM/SOM, bottom-up preferred [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure]
- Competition - who else is in the space, how you differ [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure]
- Product - screenshots, demo, key features [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure]
- Business model - how you make money [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure]
- Team - why this team can win [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure]
- Traction - what you've already proven [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure]
- Financials - current state and projections [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure]
- Ask - how much you're raising, what you'll do with it [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure]
- Slide 4 ("Why now") is the slide most founders skip and the slide most VCs care about. [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#2-the-canonical-sequoia-reid-hoffman-structure]
3. The narrative arc — problem → solution → traction → team → ask
- Strip away the template specifics and every effective pitch deck follows five beats: [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#3-the-narrative-arc-problem-solution-traction-team-ask]
- Problem - establish the pain. The reader nods. [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#3-the-narrative-arc-problem-solution-traction-team-ask]
- Solution - show your answer. The reader believes the answer is plausible. [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#3-the-narrative-arc-problem-solution-traction-team-ask]
- Traction - prove it's working. The reader believes the answer is real. [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#3-the-narrative-arc-problem-solution-traction-team-ask]
- Team - prove you can execute. The reader believes you specifically can win. [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#3-the-narrative-arc-problem-solution-traction-team-ask]
- Ask - close. The reader knows what you want and what they get. [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#3-the-narrative-arc-problem-solution-traction-team-ask]
4. The appendix convention
- Strong decks have an appendix - 5 to 20 extra slides beyond the main 10–12 - NOT shown in the live pitch but sent with the deck. [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#4-the-appendix-convention]
5. The "no cliffhanger" rule
- Pitch decks are NOT mystery novels. Slide 1 should already answer "what does this company do" at headline level. [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#5-the-no-cliffhanger-rule]
6. "What I most want you to remember" — the closer
- End the deck with one slide that names the single thing you want the audience to walk away remembering. Not a recap - one sentence, one number, one image. [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#6-what-i-most-want-you-to-remember-the-closer]
7. The slide-title-as-thesis rule
- Every slide has a title. The title is a thesis, not a category. [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#7-the-slide-title-as-thesis-rule]
- Category title (weak): "Market Size" [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#7-the-slide-title-as-thesis-rule]
- Thesis title (strong): "$47B TAM growing 22% annually; we serve the underserved bottom 60%" [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#7-the-slide-title-as-thesis-rule]
Anti-Patterns
- The mystery opening - first 3 slides don't say what the company does. [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#anti-patterns]
- Wall-of-text slides - paragraphs of body copy presented live. [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#anti-patterns]
- No "why now" - deck skips the timing argument. [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#anti-patterns]
- No traction (when you have some) - burying real data deep. [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#anti-patterns]
- Generic team slide - "20+ years experience" instead of specific credentials. [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#anti-patterns]
- Competition denial - "we have no competitors." [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#anti-patterns]
- TAM inflation - "$2T global market" with no bottom-up math. [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#anti-patterns]
- No ask - the deck ends with vague "let's talk." [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#anti-patterns]
- Cliffhanger close - last slide is "Thank you" or "Questions?" [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#anti-patterns]
References
- Guy Kawasaki, "The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint" [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#references]
- Sequoia Capital, "Writing a Business Plan" [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#references]
- Y Combinator, "How to build your seed round pitch deck" [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#references]
- Reid Hoffman / Greylock partners - LinkedIn Series B deck annotated by Hoffman [archived source: https://llms-explorer.com/sources/mdb-context-hub/pitch-deck-writing/#references]
Where this helps
- Preparing a seed or Series A fundraising deck where a VC will skim it in under four minutes before deciding whether to take a meeting. [source] — AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.
- Structuring a sales or partnership pitch that needs to compress a complex offering into a narrative a busy executive can follow without a live walkthrough. [source] — AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.
- Diagnosing why a deck that "reads well" internally keeps failing to get second meetings — usually a missing "why now" slide or buried traction data. [source] — AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.
- Rewriting a rambling internal deck into something an investor can forward to a partner without a live narrator in the room. [source] — AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.
How to apply this
- Draft the five-beat narrative arc (problem → solution → traction → team → ask) in one paragraph before touching slide software, then expand each beat into one slide. [source] — AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.
- Write every slide title as a thesis sentence carrying the slide's actual finding, not a category label, so a reader skimming only titles still gets the argument. [source] — AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.
- Route supporting detail — extra market data, technical architecture, financial model backup — into a 5-to-20-slide appendix instead of cramming it into the live deck. [source] — AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.
- Close on a single sentence, number, or image naming the one thing you want remembered, and make sure slide 1 already states what the company does so there's no mystery opening to undercut it. [source] — AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.
Common mistakes
- Opening with three slides that never say what the company does, forcing the reader to guess instead of engage. [source] — AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.
- Inflating TAM with a top-down "$2T global market" figure instead of bottom-up math the investor can sanity-check. [source] — AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.
- Writing a generic team slide ("20+ years experience") instead of naming the specific credentials that make this team likely to win this market. [source] — AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.
- Ending on "Thank you" or "Questions?" instead of a clear ask — how much you're raising and what it funds. [source] — AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.
Limitations
- The 10/20/30 rule and the Sequoia structure are conventions calibrated to investor pitch contexts; a sales or partnership deck may need a different slide order even though the same narrative-arc beats still apply. [source] — AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.
- A deck that nails the story but skips the "why now" slide will still stall with VCs, since timing is the argument investors weight most heavily and founders skip most often. [source] — AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.
- The appendix convention assumes the deck will be read asynchronously as well as presented live; a deck built only for a live walkthrough with no appendix loses the forward-without-me use case. [source] — AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.
- The 30-point minimum font is a proxy for message density, not a hard design rule — it constrains word count per slide more than it prescribes actual typography. [source] — AI-suggested, synthesized from this pack's existing facts — not extracted from a source document.
Children
- 10/20/30 rule (Kawasaki)
- Sequoia / Reid Hoffman structure (frontier)
- Y Combinator seed deck (frontier)
- Narrative arc (problem-solution-traction-team-ask) (frontier)
- Appendix slide convention (frontier)
- What I most want you to remember closer (frontier)
- No-cliffhanger rule (frontier)
- Narrative deck vs traditional deck (frontier)
- Designer + writer collaboration (frontier)
- Slide title as thesis (frontier)
Frontier under this node: Appendix slide convention, Designer + writer collaboration, Narrative arc (problem-solution-traction-team-ask), Narrative deck vs traditional deck, No-cliffhanger rule, Sequoia / Reid Hoffman structure, Slide title as thesis, What I most want you to remember closer, Y Combinator seed deck